1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to devices for moving around watercraft. More particularly, the present invention is related to benches or seats affixable to watercraft and designed to make movement around the watercraft easier. Still more particularly, the present invention is related to hiking benches or seats affixable to sailing watercraft, including mono- and multi-hull watercraft. Most particularly, the present invention relates to hiking benches or seats pivotally affixed to the hull of a sailing watercraft.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Sailing has been, and continues to be, a recreational and commercial endeavor of great interest throughout the world. It is, however, a significant undertaking, requiring considerable concentration and physical exertion in order to properly control the craft. This is particularly so when the sailing vessel is operated by a lone individual. The strain of concentration and physical effort can be exhausting, either lessening the pleasure of sailing, reducing the amount of time spent sailing, or a combination of the two.
The strain associated with sailing can be even greater in multi-hull craft--e.g., catamarans and trimarans, craft commonly designed with two or more separate hull sections linked together by a very lightweight support component. The support component is usually a pair of braces or cross-beams that join the hulls together in such craft. Larger multi-hull craft may employ more than two braces to join the hulls. In most salcraft of this type, a soft, flexible material of the type generally used in making trampolines is stretched across the area between the braces and the hulls. Hence this portion of the multi-hull craft is referred to as the `trampoline.` This material has considerable "give," and is difficult to move about on. Unfortunately, this trampoline between the hulls makes movement about the vessel a time consuming and physically difficult task. Moreover, when the craft is moving at high speeds, the lack of surefootedness associated with the trampoline material renders operation of the craft somewhat hazardous.
Another disadvantage associated with the trampoline is the required positioning of the sailor on the trampoline. The sailor must sit with his or her feet outstretched, making it awkward and difficult to move from one position to another. Not only is this an awkward position to be in for an extended period of time, it also subjects the sailor to sitting on a surface that is, for the most part, wet. A further disadvantage with the trampoline is that it is an energy-absorptive material. That is, when the sailor moves on the craft port and starboard and fore and aft in order to trim it, part of the trimming comes from the transfer of the sailor's weight to the structural components of the craft. The absorptive characteristic of the trampoline reduces and/or delays that weight transfer, thereby causing a delay in the trimming of the craft, or at least a reduction in the effectiveness of the weight transfer.
Several devices have been made available to ease the effort required to move about multi-hull and/or high speed, small-hull craft. Specifically, trapezes have been attached to such craft. The trapeze is affixed to the upper section of the mast and is designed to permit the sailor seated on it to swing out beyond the port and starboard limits of the craft in order to increase the righting moment in higher winds. However, it is also a relatively dangerous procedure, particularly at high speeds, where a pitching of the boat may cause the sailor to lose the capability to right the craft. As speed increases, it becomes necessary to move further aft to trim the sailcraft. The ability to hike out on a trapeze further aft, however, is limited. Sudden deceleration caused by "stuffing" the bow of the craft in an oncoming wave, poses an additional problem for a sailor using a trapeze to trim the craft. When such deceleration occurs, momentum drives the person on the trapeze toward the bow, exposing him or her to injury, and bringing the craft out of trim. In addition, considerable physical strength and expertise is required in order to successfully operate the trapeze. This need for such skill is of particular importance when the sailor seeks to come about. In that situation, the sailor must come off the trapeze, disconnect it from the side of the craft it is connected to, walk across the trampoline, and re-connect it so as to get outboard on the other side. It is well known to those skilled in this field that coming about is an important procedure. The process described for re-configuring the trapeze is relatively time consuming and does require movement across the trampoline--an unsteady endeavor, particularly at high speeds, in gusty winds, and in rough seas. As a result, the trapeze is a less-than-optimum means for trimming the craft, both fore and aft and port and starboard. It is also a difficult task, again, particularly at high speeds. Thus, except for the most expertly skilled and most physically fit, most sailors are unlikely to find the trapeze's benefits outweigh its deficiencies.
An alternative device that is available and that may be used for multi-hull craft but that is specifically designed for small craft is a stationary rack that extends out beyond the port and starboard sides of the craft. The rack is designed somewhat like an outrigger in that it extends outboard; however, it also includes a seat on which the sailor sits. Unfortunately, the device is fixed in place and therefore does not aid the sailor in moving fore and aft to level the craft and, therefore, it has limited applicability in sailing.
Other devices have been described for the purpose of making movement about a watercraft easier. Although these devices have not been specifically directed to sailing craft, they do, however, provide an indication of the need for less hazardous and less physically tiring means for moving about and controlling a vessel. Gibson (U.S. Pat. No. 3,718,365, issued 1973) describes a slidable seat that can be moved on rails running port and starboard on a boat. The rails are designed to be fixed in place, although they can be adjusted to different positions on the gunwales of the boat. This device fails to address the needs associated with the piloting of a sailing craft, where relatively rapid movement around the entire craft--including fore and aft--is important. Since the rails are essentially fixed in place, it is not possible to quickly move the Gibson device fore and aft. Johnson (U.S. Pat. No. 4,766,838, issued 1988) and Andrews (U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,648, issued 1986), teach similar types of sliding seats. As with the Gibson device, these sliding seats fail to provide easy movement in the fore and aft directions.
Ross (U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,607, issued 1994) describes a sailboard with components that permit the board to be converted between sailing, paddling, and rowing types. The craft includes a movable multi-function seat. A limitation of the Ross craft that is critical to the discussion of the present invention as it relates to multi-hull and high-speed mono-hull craft is the board itself The Ross board is, effectively, a wide mono-hull having add-on components that cannot be applied to multi-hull and high speed craft. These components are necessary for the Ross design in order to permit conversion from one type of craft to another. Further, when the Ross device is set up as a sailing craft, the bench seat is apparently fixed in place by pins so as to prevent movement of the seat, either port and starboard or fore and aft.
The outrigger seat of Boffer (U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,926, issued 1985) is pivotally fastened to the mast of a sailboard body and includes cable pulls and foot controls connected to the craft's rudder. This design assumes that the center of gravity, center of buoyancy, and point-of-effort of the sailcraft lie at or close to the point where the mast is attached to the body of the boat. In fact, the centers of gravity and buoyancy and point-of-effort in many sailcraft lie well aft of the mast, shifting with changes in wind, craft speed, and sail trim. It is at this point that a sailor can best exert control over the trim of the vessel by hiking out. The seat of Boffer, by being attached to the mast of the sail craft, places the maximum hike-out position too far ahead of the vessel's actual centers of gravity and buoyancy and point-of-effort, thereby reducing the operator's ability to effectively control the trim of the craft. Moreover, the mast may experience a considerable amount of stress at its base due to the presence of the outrigger seat of Boffer. The combination of the forces exerted on the mast by both the wind and the operator may cause irreparable damage to the mast. Furthermore, the device of Boffer is designed primarily for small single-person sailcraft, and is not adaptable to vessels that are either multi-hulled or can accommodate more than one person.
The device of the present inventor, described in pending U.S. patent application 08/730,749, solves these problems by providing a hiking bench system that enables a sailor to safely and quickly hike out on a sailing craft. In particular, the device facilitates the hiking out maneuver on multi-hulled craft by means of a bench coupled to a rail by means of a roller system that permits the sailor to move from side-to-side and fore-and-aft without having walk across the trampoline section of the craft. The hiking bench is extendable beyond the width or beam of the boat to allow the sailor to better trim the craft. A rail system for tri-hulled craft is also described in which two separate rail systems are affixed to the center hull and extend outward from it, thereby allowing free movement along the center hull of the craft. Because the device employs rollers and a pair of rails to accomplish movement fore and aft, however, the degree of movement in these directions is limited by the length of the rails. Because the rail system may span the width of the craft, obstructions, such as a mast or rigging, at or near the center of the craft limit the length of travel of the bench system fore and aft. In addition, it is advantageous to minimize the weight of any hiking device in order to maximize sailing speed.
In summary, there does not presently exist a simplified, lightweight system for aiding in the safe, complete, and efficient movement of a sailor about a sailing craft. Therefore, what is needed is a safe, lightweight, and efficient device designed to permit a sailor a wider range of movement both fore and aft as well as port and starboard on a sailing craft. What is needed is a device that permits more rapid and easier hiking in and out on the craft than that achievable by moving on a trampoline alone. What is also needed is a hiking device that couples the sailor's weight directly to the structural components of the craft, rather than coupling that weight through the energy-absorbing trampoline and without posing the threat of damage to major components of the craft. What is also needed is a hiking device that capable of pivoting about a central point. What is further needed is a hiking device that can be affixed to a point on the vessel that is located near the center of gravity, center of buoyancy, and point-of-effort, in order to optimize the effect of hiking out on control of the craft. What is further needed is a pivotally movable hiking device that can be mounted at a position anywhere along the center line of the vessel. What is also needed is that such a pivotally mounted hiking device be easy to install and maintain. Further, what is needed is such a device that provides a comfortable position for the sailor, in contrast to the uncomfortable, and usually wet, position associated with sitting on a trampoline. What is also needed is such a device that is adaptable to mono-hull and multi-hull craft. Yet further, what is needed is a device that includes a direct and secure coupling of the sailor to the craft, particularly in high winds and/or rough seas.